Lombard, Carole, originally Jane Alice Peters 1908-42
US actress

Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, she moved to California, where she was spotted by director Allan Dwan and cast as a tomboy in the film A Perfect Crime (1921). After completing her studies she returned to films (1925) where her blond beauty made her a decorative addition to many Mack Sennett comedies. She signed to a long-term contract with Paramount in 1930, saw her roles gradually improve and revealed her comic flair in Twentieth Century (1934). Glamorous, sophisticated and effervescent, she was the perfect heroine of screwball comedies like My Man Godfrey (1936), Nothing Sacred (1937) and To Be or Not to Be (1942), whilst her dramatic potential was glimpsed in They Knew What They Wanted (1940). Married to Clark Gable (1939), she was one of Hollywood's most popular stars at the time of her death in an air crash.